Orlando Fringe review: 'Still Alive'

Tod Caviness, Orlando Sentinel

The members of the Downtowners choir may not be all there. They may miss a high note here and there, or drop a lyric. But if you don’t at least crack a smile at “Still Alive,” you might not be fully alive yourself.

Led by director Tim Hanes, the choir from Orlando Lutheran Towers is back with a plucky group of senior voices ranging up to age 97. Their songbook is decidedly less mature, though, and that’s the hook . Aside from the inherent comedy of a group of octogenarians singing The Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated,” there’s a whole new irony to the song. Lady Gaga,Beyonce and Cee-Lo Green are among the pop icons to get a similar treatment, and a few standards will be familiar to fans from last year (The Village People’s “YMCA,” Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World).

Several members of the troupe get moments in the spotlight with solo turns, and Peggy Moon is a particular standout with her rendition of Nat King Cole’s “Orange Colored Sky.” There’s even a reworked version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Memory,” with lyrics tweaked to more accurately reflect senior sensibilities. (“If I eat fish and do the crosswords every day / Will the brain cells grow again?”) It’s a winking reminder of what’s essential, whether you’re getting though old age or an especially earnest show: A healthy sense of humor.